crock pot dilema

[rsjj]

i've been wanting to purchase a crock pot. not really sure which brand/size is good to get. have 4 in my family, DH, myself, and 2 DSs (5 & 3). do i need a big one? or just a little one? any help and input in this is greatly appreciated! thank you!

 

[piratesmate]

I've had one since the early days when only the 3 (or was it 3 1/2?) qt was available. Even when it was only the 2 of us I always wished for a larger one. Whole chickens & roasts didn't always fit too well (esp when the roast was still frozen) and there never seemed to be enough room for enough carrots/potatoes.

I bought a 5 qt at some point, but still had trouble with those frozen rump roasts fitting. As soon as the ovals came out I got one of those....but back then it was only 5.5 qt.

We eat leftovers here. No one ever complains about them. Perhaps if no one will eat the leftovers & you won't use it when you entertain, a smaller one would work for you. The thing is, they last a long time & your boys are small now. In another 5 - 10 years, your crock should still be going strong & let me tell you about how much teenage boys eat!! (especially meat!)

I've always had the Rival pots with the stone insert. (Well, the 1st wasn't removable which was a pain!) I love them! My sister & mother have the type that is a heating element that looks like a try & a Teflon coated metal "pot" that sits on it. I don't think things turn out nearly as well with theirs. I'd never have one. Things seem to be drier & burn more easily with theirs.

JMHO - Good luck!

 

[rsjj]

thanx for the info & tips! i will be on the lookout for one soon. with all the after christmas sale...hopefully i'll pick one up soon!

 

[pumba]

the removable crock makes it easy for cleaning and putting ingredients together the day before and cooking it the next day.....it is so nice and I love it.
Hubby makes his road kill chili and takes it to work functions and it is a huge amount of chili......

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

A couple years back DH was doing the washing up and dropped the crock pot we had received as a wedding gift (you mean everyone didn't?)

So we found ourselves in the market for a new one. Our's is larger (5.5 qt I think) but still round. Naturally the ovals came out just a few months later. Size and shape generally work fine for us. The main thing is the removable liner! Whatever you end up doing get that.

This makes it MUCH easier to 1) put a meal together the night before, store it in the fridge overnight and just pop it into the heating portion in the morning, 2) if there are significant leftovers you can just pull the whole thing and put it in the fridge, and 3) if it is the sort of thing you want to serve directly from the crockpot the liner and lid can be placed on the table.

Deb

 

[simpilotswife]

I have a slow cooker which I prefer to a crockpot. It is the same principal, it just has a thermostat which I like. I found that my crockpot didn't cook things the way I liked even on the low setting.

 

[wtpclc]

I got an ovval one for Christmas. Din't need it. Just asked for a mini one and got both. I'm thinking of keeping it, though, because the oval would fit a little bigger ham than my round one does.

I have to agree with piratesmate, too. They will last forever, unless your dh drops it or your mom puts its on the stove (BIG no no). Get what you want. You will get your money's worth out of it!

 

[Jiminy102]

I have a Rival I believe. It is a 6 qt removable stone crock oval with a second crock tha tis devided into a 1 qt and a 5 qt section that has differennt settings like 4,6,8,and I think 10 hour times. Set it for whichever and then it will keep it warm for so long after the times up. I LOVE IT!!!

 

[piratesmate]

I got an ovval one for Christmas. Din't need it. Just asked for a mini one and got both. I'm thinking of keeping it, though, because the oval would fit a little bigger ham than my round one does.
.....

Sometimes the minis come "free" with an oval. I need to buy another (DH dropped his drill on the crock part of my oval) & am thinking about getting one of those even though I already have a mini that we'd given my grandmother years ago.

For a while there I had a 5 qt round, the 5.5 qt oval & that mini. Storage was a pain, but most weeks I used at least the 2 large ones - so they ended up on the counter most of the time anyway. I found that they were great for entertaining!

I often made drip beef sandwiches in the 5.5 oval, had pumpkin job in the round and then kept appetizers warm in the mini.

I'd keep the oval!

Oh - and the removable insert/crock is essential! I just didn't think they made the other kind any more...I mean who would want them?!?!?!

 

[wtpclc]

piratesmate - That's exactly what happened. I just feel bad because I thought the mini was just a good idea for a small gift from my dh's uncle & gf. They don't have much money and I thought the mini would be pefect. I can't believe they still buy for us, but it is very nice of them. Anyway, I will keep them both, I just need to find the storage space! (with just the 2 of us and very little entertaining, I just don't see the dualing crok pots happening.